رسمٌ عَليَّ لناظِري

رسمٌ عَليَّ لناظِري

في كلِّ رسمٍ دائِرِ

في كلِّ رسمٍ دائِرِ

A decree is laid upon my gaze,

A duty is laid upon my gaze,

A drawing upon me for my viewers

as it circles over every trace:

at every fading ruin:

In every drawing a cycle

طول الوقوفِ به وإن

طول الوقوفِ به وإن

أعيا الوقوفُ أباعِري

أعيا الوقوفُ أباعِري

to linger long beside it, even though

to stand long beside it, even if

Long is standing by it though

the halt exhausts my camels—

standing exhausts my camels.

Standing tires the strayer

لمكلَّفٍ يسمُ الرسو

لمكلَّفٍ يسمُ الرسو

مَ بدَمعِهِ المتَواتِرِ

مَ بدَمعِهِ المتَواتِرِ

for one compelled to mark the traces

For a love-stricken man who marks the ruins

For one charged to draw the messengers

with his ceaseless-streaming tears.

with his ceaseless tears.

With his flowing tears

يا أوَّل الحَسَراتِ جِئ

يا أوَّل الحَسَراتِ جِئ

تَ مُعقِّباً في الآخِرِ

تَ مُعقِّباً في الآخِرِ

O first of sorrows, you have come

O first of sorrows, you have come

O first of regrets you came

following close upon the last.

as a follower, last of all.

Following in the end

حمَّلتَني ثِقلَ الهَوى

حمَّلتَني ثِقلَ الهَوى

وحملتَ ثِقلَ سَرائِري

وحملتَ ثِقلَ سَرائِري

You made me bear the weight of love,

You burdened me with the weight of love,

You burdened me with love's weight

and bore the weight of all my secrets.

and bore the burden of my secrets.

And burdened the weight of my secrets

فشَكرتُ واحِدةً ولَس

فشَكرتُ واحِدةً ولَس

تُ لأختِها بالشاكِرِ

تُ لأختِها بالشاكِرِ

For one of these I thanked you, but I am not

So I was grateful for one, but I am

So I thanked one and wasn't

grateful for its sister.

not grateful for its sister.

Thankful to her sister

ومُهَفهَفٍ كالأسمَرال

ومُهَفهَفٍ كالأسمَرال

خَطيّ باتَ مُسامِري

خَطيّ باتَ مُسامِري

And a slender youth, like a brown

And a slender-waisted youth, like a dusky

And one disheveled like a dark

lance of Khatt, spent the night conversing with me,

Khatti spear, kept me company at night.

Brown gazelle became my companion

حَتى إذا اقتصَرَ المَزو

حَتى إذا اقتصَرَ المَزو

رُ على حديثِ الزائِرِ

رُ على حديثِ الزائِرِ

until, when the aloof one confined

Until, when the host was content

Until when goodbyes were confined

himself to a visitor’s talk,

with the visitor's talk,

To talk of the visitor

أنِسَ الشرودُ به وأَف

أنِسَ الشرودُ به وأَف

رخَ عنه روعُ النافِرِ

رخَ عنه روعُ النافِرِ

the skittish one grew tame through it, and the fear

the elusive one grew at ease with him, and

Distraction was intimate with it and fear

of the recoiling fugitive fell away.

the skittish one's fear left him.

Of the repulser relaxed

ولقد يكونُ النسكُ في

ولقد يكونُ النسكُ في

وقتٍ حُبالةَ فاجِرِ

وقتٍ حُبالةَ فاجِرِ

Indeed, ascetic piety may sometimes be

And indeed, piety can at

Indeed abstinence may sometimes

a sinner’s snare.

times be a libertine's snare.

Be the debauchery of a time

إنَّ التي خلتِ العُصو

إنَّ التي خلتِ العُصو

رُ لعَهدِها بالعاصِرِ

رُ لعَهدِها بالعاصِرِ

As for that wine since whose vintage ages

Indeed, she over whom the ages have passed

She who has passed the ages

have passed since its covenant with the vintner,

since her time with the wine-presser—

For her time with the breaker

لم أجتَنبها قادِراً

لم أجتَنبها قادِراً

إلا مَخافَةَ قادِرِ

إلا مَخافَةَ قادِرِ

I did not shun it while able to drink,

I did not shun her, though able,

I avoided her not being able

except from fear of One all-powerful:

except for fear of the Almighty.

Except fearing the Able

صفراءُ تنزلُ بيتَ هم

صفراءُ تنزلُ بيتَ هم

مِكَ ما به من صافِرِ

مِكَ ما به من صافِرِ

a golden wine that enters the house of your cares

Golden, she enters the house of your sorrow,

Blonde visiting the abode of care

when not a single soul is there.

and not a whistler remains within it.

With what it contains of whistler

أخذَ الصيامُ كما علِم

أخذَ الصيامُ كما علِم

تَ يَدي ولستُ بغادِرِ

تَ يَدي ولستُ بغادِرِ

Fasting, as you know, has stayed

Fasting has restrained, as you know,

Fasting has taken as you know

my hand, and I will not prove faithless—

my hand, and I will not betray it:

My hands and I won't neglect

ألا أُجاورهُ بها

ألا أُجاورهُ بها

فأكون شرَّ مُجاوِرِ

فأكون شرَّ مُجاوِرِ

I will not keep it company with wine

I must not dwell beside it with her,

Shall I dwell with it through her

and so become the worst of neighbors.

and thus become the worst of neighbors.

And be the worst neighbor

ورَمى بكَلكَلهِ فيا

ورَمى بكَلكَلهِ فيا

شوالُ شِلهُ وبادِرِ

شوالُ شِلهُ وبادِرِ

Ramadan has cast down his whole weight; so,

And it has cast its breast upon me; O

And the crescent flung its anklets

O Shawwal, carry him off, and hurry!

Shawwal, lift it away, and hasten!

O Shawwal loose it and hasten

ماذا يضرُّكَ أن تجو

ماذا يضرُّكَ أن تجو

رَ على الزمانِ الجائِرِ

رَ على الزمانِ الجائِرِ

What harm would it do you to deal unjustly

What harm would it do you to wrong

What harm in dwelling upon

with tyrannous Time,

unjust Time,

The unjust time

متشبِّهاً بعليٍّ ب

متشبِّهاً بعليٍّ ب

نِ عمارةِ بن عذافِرِ

نِ عمارةِ بن عذافِرِ

taking after Ali, s-

imitating Ali, son

Resembling Ali son of

on of Imara ibn Udhafir?

of Umara, son of Adhafir?

Ammarah ibn Tha'labah

تركَ العيونَ سَواهماً

تركَ العيونَ سَواهماً

بيدٍ كليلَةِ ساهِرِ

بيدٍ كليلَةِ ساهِرِ

He has left all eyes staring

He left eyes staring pensively,

He left eyes save them

at a hand as long as a sleepless man’s night.

with a hand like a sleepless man's night.

With a hand that stayed up at night

طالَت وجادَ فزادَها

طالَت وجادَ فزادَها

طولاً بِصَوتٍ ماطِرِ

طولاً بِصَوتٍ ماطِرِ

It stretched out and poured gifts, and he added

It grew long; he gave, and made it

Long they were and generosity increased

to its length with a rain-laden voice.

longer with a rain-pouring voice.

Their length with pouring voice

ويَبيتُ ذا ثِقةٍ بذا

ويَبيتُ ذا ثِقةٍ بذا

كَ الجودُ كلُّ مُسافِرِ

كَ الجودُ كلُّ مُسافِرِ

Every traveler spends the night secure in

And sleeps, secure in that

He spends the night confident in it

that generosity,

generosity, every traveler,

Like generosity every traveler

حتى كأنَّ ظُنونَهم

حتى كأنَّ ظُنونَهم

فيه حَمولَةُ تاجِرِ

فيه حَمولَةُ تاجِرِ

until their hopes in him appear

until it seems their hopes

As if their suspicions of him

as laden as a merchant’s freight.

in him are a merchant's pack train.

Were merchandise of a trader

ومولّداتٍ في الغُبا

ومولّداتٍ في الغُبا

رِ مع الزمانِ الغابِرِ

رِ مع الزمانِ الغابِرِ

And mares bred amid the dust

And crossbred mares amid the dust,

And water-springs in the

through ages gone—

in company with bygone Time—

Buried with the vanished time

فلذاكَ هنَّ ذواتُ أب

فلذاكَ هنَّ ذواتُ أب

صارٍ ذواتُ بَصائِرِ

صارٍ ذواتُ بَصائِرِ

therefore they possess eyes

thus they are endowed with eyes,

For that they, possessors of insight

endowed with insight.

endowed with discernment.

Possessors of clear vision

وكأنهنَّ أصولُ أش

وكأنهنَّ أصولُ أش

جارِ القَنا المُتَشاجِرِ

جارِ القَنا المُتَشاجِرِ

They seem the very trunks of forests

And they seem the roots of trees

As if they were roots of trees

of interlocking lances,

of interlacing spears.

Arguing at the canal

من كلِّ رافعةٍ لها

من كلِّ رافعةٍ لها

في الروعِ سَقطَةُ طائِرِ

في الروعِ سَقطَةُ طائِرِ

each holding herself high, yet in terror

Each a high-stepping mare, with

From every tall one among them

swooping like a bird,

a bird's swoop amid terror.

In spirit a falling bird

حتى إذا غمرَ الهيا

حتى إذا غمرَ الهيا

جَ بها الغلامُ العامِري

جَ بها الغلامُ العامِري

until the Amirid youth plunges them

Until, when the battle was flooded

Until when the youth

into the engulfing tumult of battle.

with them by the Amiri youth,

Flooded her, the prosperous

نصَتَت له فأجابَ قَر

نصَتَت له فأجابَ قَر

عَ الرُّمح وقع الحافِرِ

عَ الرُّمح وقع الحافِرِ

They heed him; and answering

they listened to him; then the clash

She harkened to him so the stirring

the clash of lance comes the beat of hoof.

of the spear was answered by the hoofbeat.

Of the spear met the hoof

يُعطي ويُخفي فهو بال

يُعطي ويُخفي فهو بال

مَعروفِ غيرُ مجاهِرِ

مَعروفِ غيرُ مجاهِرِ

He gives and conceals; of his beneficence

He gives and conceals it, making

He gives and hides so he is in

he makes no public show.

no public show of his kindness.

Kindness no boaster

مَهما طَوَيتُ فإنَّه

مَهما طَوَيتُ فإنَّه

منِّي على يدِ ناشِرِ

منِّي على يدِ ناشِرِ

However tightly I fold it away, it passes

Whatever I fold away, it passes

Whatever I conceal he is from me

from me into the hand of one who spreads it abroad.

from me to the hand of one who unfolds it.

At the hand of a disseminator

والسرُّ أضيعُ ما يكو

والسرُّ أضيعُ ما يكو

نُ مع المقيمِ السائِرِ

نُ مع المقيمِ السائِرِ

A secret is never more surely lost

And a secret is least secure

The secret I lose is what

than with a stay-at-home who makes it travel.

with the resident wanderer.

Stays with the resident traveler